British Airways to trial new intelligent queuing technology from Qmatic
London, UK, 2021-May-13 — /Travel PR News/ — British Airways will be trialling new intelligent queuing technology from Qmatic, that will enable customers to virtually queue at check-in by pre-booking their slot time in advance of arriving at the airport.
The technology, that is optional for customers, will be trialled by British Airways for three months on selected flights departing from Heathrow Terminal 5. Customers will be sent an email before travel inviting them to book their personal check in time.
When it is time for a customer to check-in, the Qmatic system will notify them that it is their turn, allowing them to then simply go to the dedicated desk and the airline’s customer service team will be able to assist. Customers who have not booked a check-in slot through Qmatic, can proceed as normal, or have the option to join a virtual queue when they arrive at the airport by scanning a QR code.
British Airways will be the first airline to trial Qmatic, which is currently used extensively in public sector, retail, healthcare and financial organisations around the world, including BP Service Stations, the Tate Modern and the Post Office in the UK, to help manage the flow of customers.
Declan Pollard, British Airways’ Head of Heathrow Customer Experience, said “In this new Covid-19 era we know that customers have been travelling less frequently than they normally would, and in most cases not at all. We understand many people will feel unfamiliar with the airport journey, so we are committed to exploring how technology can simplify that experience for them.
This technology means that our customers can plan their departure knowing that they have a personalised check-in time. We think this technology, coupled with digital travel apps, will help efficiently manage the flow of customers in the airport at any one time and give our customers reassurance.”
Mark Brackley, Managing Director of Jade Solutions, the exclusive supplier of Qmatic in the UK, added “The intelligent queuing solution will provide British Airways’ customers with the ability to add themselves to a virtual queue and see their position change in real-time, all from their phone. We are excited to be working with British Airways to trial this technology.”
Elsewhere, British Airways is also trialling digital travel apps to ensure customers meet the entry requirements for their destination before arriving at the airport. The airline’s customers can currently use VeriFLY on all flights to the US, Canada and France as well as on all inbound flights and the airline has been assisting in the development of IATA’s travel pass.
British Airways’ customers also travelling to Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, can now also upload their negative Covid-19 test result and other documentation directly into ba.com for verification before travel.
British Airways will continue to explore how it integrates other technologies, such as VeriFLY, into its systems to further streamline the customer experience.
Notes to editors
About mobile travel health app – VeriFLY
The use of a mobile travel health app is optional for customers, and will not be a mandatory requirement. British Airways does not determine what entry requirements are but assists customers in demonstrating eligibility to travel.
About ‘Your Menu’ lounge ordering app
Last year British Airways introduced a new digital app called ‘Your Menu’ in its lounges at Heathrow. Customers simply scan a QR code at their table to order food and beverages directly to their seat.
Safety is at the heart of British Airways’ business.
The airline continues to implement a range of measures that it requires customers and colleagues to observe, which include:
- Observing government regulations around advice around travel
- Asking customers not to travel if they think they have any symptoms of Covid-19
- Wearing facemasks and bringing enough to replace them every four hours for longer flights
- Checking-in online, downloading a boarding pass to a mobile device where possible for self-scanning at security and the departure gate
- Observing social distancing and using hand sanitisers that are placed throughout airports
- Asking customers to ensure they have everything they need from their hand luggage before departure, and where possible, storing their carry-on bag under the seat in front of them
- Cabin crew wearing PPE and a new food service, which reduces the number of interactions required with customers
The airline is cleaning all key surfaces including seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables after every flight and each aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day. The air on all British Airways flights is fully recycled once every two to three minutes through HEPA filters, which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9% efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards.
About Qmatic / Jade Solutions
Qmatic is a global leader in customer journey management, enabling 2 billion yearly customer journeys in over 120 countries. 40 years of innovation has enabled Qmatic to develop technology that in a safe way simplifies contacts, reduces friction, saves time and money for our clients in retail, finance, health services and public sector. Customers that deploy innovative journey management solution can operate smart queues, eliminate the need for people to join a physical queue and allow them to be kept immediately updated on their position – all via their mobile phone.
Jade Solutions is the exclusive supplier of Qmatic’s intelligent journey management solutions into the UK, with a dedicated team that provides installation, project management and support to UK-based customers
Contact Details:
For more information please contact press.office@ba.com.
Source: British Airways
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